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Barlow 92. DE LEONE, ASINO ET VULPE

*Not included in the Bolchazy-Carducci book.*

Parallels: For parallel versions, see Perry 149.

Latin Text:

Leo, Asinus et Vulpes, conflata inter se societate, venatum exeunt. Cumque multam praedam cepissent, Leo Asino mandat ut praedam dividat. Asinus, cum eam in tres partes aequales esset partitus, optionem capiendi sociis dedit. Quam partitionem Leo indigne ferens ac dentibus frendens a divisione deposuit eum, mandavitque Vulpi ut praedam ipsa partiretur. At Vulpes, illas tres partes in unum colligens, ac praedae nihil sibi seorsum relinquens, Leoni omnia tradidit. Tunc Leo Vulpi ait: Quis te partiri docuit? Inquit extempore Vulpes, Asini periculum id me facere instruxit.

Here is a segmented version to help you see the grammatical patterns:

Leo, Asinus et Vulpes,

conflata inter se societate,

venatum exeunt.

Cumque multam praedam

cepissent,

Leo

Asino mandat

ut praedam dividat.

Asinus,

cum eam

in tres partes aequales

esset partitus,

optionem capiendi

sociis dedit.

Quam partitionem

Leo

indigne ferens

ac dentibus frendens

a divisione

deposuit eum,

mandavitque Vulpi

ut praedam

ipsa partiretur.

At Vulpes,

illas tres partes

in unum colligens,

ac praedae nihil

sibi seorsum relinquens,

Leoni

omnia tradidit.

Tunc Leo

Vulpi ait:

Quis

te partiri docuit?

Inquit extempore Vulpes,

Asini periculum

id me facere

instruxit.

Translation: The lion, donkey and fox had joined themselves in a company and went out hunting. When they had captured a lot of prey, the lion ordered the donkey to divide the spoils. The donkey, when he had divided the spoils into three parts, gave them to his partners. The lion was upset at this division, gnashed his teeth, and relieved the donkey of his division duties. Then he ordered the fox to do the dividing herself. The fox gathered the three parts into one and leaving nothing of the spoils behind for herself, she gave it all to the lion. Then the lion said to the fox: Who taught you how to divide? The fox spontaneously replied, "The danger to the donkey taught me how to do it."

[This translation is meant as a help in understanding the story, not as a "crib" for the Latin. I have not hesitated to change the syntax to make it flow more smoothly in English, altering the verb tense consistently to narrative past tense, etc.]

Illustration: Here is an illustration from this edition, by the renowned artist Francis Barlow; click on the image for a larger view.